


A Recalcitrant Patient

by lha



Series: Gabriel Lorca: Child-whisperer [3]
Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Bedtime Stories, Children, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Medical, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 05:37:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13851207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lha/pseuds/lha
Summary: Inspired by another lovely picture on Twitter.Katrina Cornwell has to call in reinforcements.





	A Recalcitrant Patient

**Author's Note:**

> Once again with twitter...
> 
> https://twitter.com/Vintage1983V/status/969523543909289984

Gabriel closed his eyes and resisted the urge to sigh at the sound of the door chime. If it was Katrina, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Slam the door in her face maybe, it was an advantage of the age of his flat that the front door had hinges and a door jam. It took him three attempts to get off the sofa and once he was upright he had to stop and breath through the pain before he walked awkwardly across the room.

“Cap’in!” a small missile in a dress darted through the door as soon as he opened it and clamped itself to his leg. Rocking slightly at the force of the impact, one of his hands went to her head automatically while he stared in disbelief at Hugh standing on his doorstep.

“What are you doing here?” he asked bluntly.

“A little bird called me and told me she had a problem with a non-compliant patient.”

“She shouldn’t have done that. I told her I’m fine and I am.”

“Why don’t you let the trained professionals be the judge of that? Now are you going to let me in, or would you like a puddle on your floorboards?” Gabriel frowned and then looking down, realised that Jess was doing a little wiggle dance.

“Of course,” he said, moving out the way. 

“Come on Jessy-cat,” Hugh said, taking his daughter’s hand and leading her directly towards the bathroom. 

Gabriel used the few minutes grace to try and make the corner of the settee where he’d taken up residence look slightly more presentable. He gathered together the empty cups and took them through to the kitchen area and was trying to straighten out the cushions when the two of them reappeared.

“Really, you didn’t…” he started and then stopped when he saw what it was that the other man was holding.

“Have you taken anything you were prescribed?”

“They’re all to be taken ‘as necessary’ and it’s not been necessary.”

“Do you want to pick that PADD of the ground for me and try that again?” the doctor asked with an arched eyebrow. 

“I’ll get it Cap’in!” Jess offered, scooting forward and picking up the offending article that had been outside his reach since he’d dropped it last night. She held it up to him, pale eyes blinking and a brilliant smile spread across her face.

“Thank you very much Jess,” he said, gesturing towards her father with it.

“You should still be at medical,” Hugh said firmly.

“I was doing nothing but taking up a bed, so I discharged myself. A few days and I’ll be back at work, now Jess would you like some chocolate milk?”

“No,” he said plainly. “Green juice please, extra green!” Tilly was back on earth then.

“How about you take your PADD out of rucksack and read for a little while?” Hugh suggested. 

“Ok Daddy. Cap’in?” Just as Daisy still insisted on calling him Captain, Jess had yet to grow out of the approximation she’d first learnt. He ought to detest it but he didn’t.

“Yes?” 

“I sit in your big chair?”

“Of course you can,” he said, going to help her into the rocking chair on instinct before Hugh’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“I’ll help you up Jess,” he said, “Cap’in has a sore back and needs to be careful not to pick up people who are very nearly grown ups.” 

“I’m only three Daddy!” 

“Are you sure?” Hugh asked helping her pick out a book and kissing her on the forehead before coming back over. “No offense Gabriel, but you look shocking, which is probably why I’ve had a call from Admiral Cornwell at Starbase 124.”

“She shouldn’t have disturbed you.”

“She didn’t, and she’s worried.”

“I’d have thought that she’d have better things to worry about than me,” he snapped, regretting his tone straight away.

“Well then, maybe you should let me reassure her that you’re looking after yourself properly?”

“Daddy doctor, make Cap’in better?” Jess asked, looking up from her book, her head tilted quizzically.

“Well that depends on whether Cap’in let’s me, but I’d like to make him feel better.” Gabriel’s admittedly limited reserves were falling.

“If I’d known it was going to cause this much trouble, I’d have just stayed there.” Everything hurt now and all he really wanted to do was to be left alone with his own misery.

“Why didn’t you?” Hugh asked, stepping forward and helping him to sit back down.

“You know damn well how I feel about medical facilities.” 

“Yes, but usually you tolerate them longer than a few hours.”

“I don’t need to be at Medical.” He knew he was trying to convince himself as much as anyone else. “I… They… they wouldn’t leave the light on. I was under a treatment arch and I couldn’t move and they wouldn’t leave the light on.” He hated the dark now. He’d spent months surrounded by nothing with nowhere to go and nothing to think about other than the fact that there was someone else with his face walking around. It had been so cold he thought he’d never be warm again. He shuddered, a shiver wracking his frame which seemed to set of a tidal wave of pain as damaged muscles contracted against recently mended bones. 

“Breathe,” came the familiar voice accompanied moments later by the hiss of a hypospray. “Normal breath in through your nose and slow breath out through your mouth. That’s it.” 

“Cap’in?” Jess’s voice was uncertain, and Gabriel’s gaze seemed to come back into focus as his eyes darted around trying to spot her. She was standing in front of him now, a well loved cuddly toy held out in front of her. Gabriel could feel the medication working, pulsing through his veins and warming him from the inside out. “You has Spot,” she said hesitantly placing the soft dog on his knee, “Spot makes Jess feel better. He help Cap’in too.”

“Thank you, darling,” Hugh said, “that was very nice.” Gabriel tried to smile but he wasn’t sure it worked. Jess looked at him seriously for a moment before coming closer and climbing up into a space that didn’t really exist between him and her father. “Careful Jess, what are you…”

“Cap’in needs hugs!” she declared stridently before very carefully standing up on the cushion and leaning in to wrap her arms around Gabriel’s neck. 

Whether it was her warmth, the sensation of her breath against his neck or smell of her hair he couldn’t tell but the small body pressed gently against his brought a comfort that seemed entirely alien to his singing nerves. After a moment, he moved an arm to wrap around her and hold her close. He barely heard the sound of the comm station on the wall until Hugh started moving. 

“Admiral Cornwell,” Hugh said having activated the screen.

“Hugh, it’s Katrina please. How’s our recalcitrant patient?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” Gabriel murmured though neither of them seemed inclined to listen to him.

“He’ll be fine. He hasn’t done himself too much harm for once.”

“And it looks like he’s getting some very special nursing now,” Katrina said with a smile. 

“You shouldn’t have called them,” Gabriel said opening eyes he didn’t really remember closing, to look at her.

“What was I supposed to do Gabe? You as good as had a panic attack when I suggested that I was going to get you re-admitted.” 

“I’m fine. Just, I don’t want to go back to medical.” 

“I’ll speak to you later about that,” Hugh said to Katrina, his tone grim. “But I think we’ll be fine now.”

“Call me tomorrow, Gabriel?”

“Who died and made you my mother?” he grumbled.

“Your mother,” she replied dryly. “Thank you so much Hugh, anything I can do just let me know.” And with that she was gone.

“Right, will you two be alright if I go and see if there’s anything resembling food in your kitchen?” Hugh asked.

“I’m not here enough to justify a food grade replicator.”

“Green juice?” Jess asked from where she was still wrapped around his neck. 

“It does however make a very good, extra green, green juice.”

“Two very green green juices coming up,” Hugh said shaking his head. 

“Cap’in read me and spot a story?” Jess asked after a moment.

“Go and get your PADD then,” he said with a smile and a wince as she clambered down and ran across the floor to start pulling more things out of her bag. 

“Gruffalo!!!” she declared, handing him the PADD and then installing herself remarkably carefully onto his knee, “with voices.”

“Your wish is my command,” he agreed and pulling up the required story he began to read;

_“A mouse took a stroll through a deep, dark wood.” ___

**Author's Note:**

> And here are the sort of delightful voices I suspect Gabe would offer:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8sUPpPc8Ws
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Lx


End file.
